Beirut's streets speak for themselves

Maysa Shawwa  

    The ruined buildings with holes like Swiss cheese that are intermixed with a spirit of persistence have become part of our ‘Beiruti’ heritage. We can almost hear the recurrent phrase "Beirut never dies" echoing through these buildings and ruins. The cosmopolitan city of Beirut is renewing its zest for life and regaining its former status as a leading metropolitan center in the Middle East. Beirut's reconstruction, along with its idiosyncratic reconnection with the past through the preservation of its architectural legacy, keeps you suspended between the past and the present, between the past wars and the current peaceful platform. The heart of Beirut, Downtown, still pumps with prehistoric blood; you can visualize the ruins that take us nostalgically back in time to the ancient settlements that were devastated by the long periods of conflict. It was mentioned in Angus Gavin's "Beirut Reborn" that, by the year 2000, "Almost 300 retained and heritage buildings will have been restored and some 615,000 square meters of new construction completed."    

    The names of the streets and squares provide a glimpse at Beirut's long and rich history. Many influences have contributed to Beirut’s development, from the Canaanite city-states of antiquity to the archeological traces found during Beirut’s reconstruction in the early 90s; from the origin of its name Birûta, which was most probably given for the city’s multitude of wells (burtu in Akkadian, be’er in Hebrew and bîr in Arabic), to its relationships with the pharaohs; from Alexander the Great to the Romans. In his book "Why Beirut?" Samir Kassir reminds us that Beirut was once a Roman colony named 'Colonia Augusta Iulia Felix Berytus', a tribute to the daughter of Octavius the Emperor.   

    Each street in Beirut has its own story, such as Hamra Street, Verdun Street, Burj Al Brajneh and Bliss Street, which are some of the most important and famous streets in Beirut. Samir Al Ziinni, the 'mukhtar', or headman, of Mosaytbeh, Beirut, says, "The names of Beirut streets were given during the eras of the Ottoman and French mandates of Lebanon." One of Beirut’s central locations, Cannon Square, acquired its name when the Russian army bombarded the city in 1773 and settled with their weapons and cannons – one big cannon in particular – in front of the walls of the city, as mentioned in Kassir's "Why Beirut?"

    Verdun Street is an upscale commercial and residential street in Beirut. The street, which is a major shopping center and tourist attraction, "was named in honor of the battle of Verdun during World War I", as mentioned by Yehya Al Lababidi, the mukhtar of Bachoura, Beirut. It started with the attack of German troops on Fort Douaumont and Fort Vaux in Verdun France on February 21, 1916. More than 3,500 German guns opened fire on the French lines in the Verdun salient. The Germans had established air superiority in the early stages of battle, but General Henri-Philippe Benoni Omer Pétain of France was determined to win it back so his guns would have adequate fire direction. It is said that the Germans' failure to capture Verdun had repercussions. The Battle of Verdun, also known as the Mincing Machine of Verdun or Meuse Mill, became a symbol of French determination to hold their ground and then roll back the enemy at any human cost. In this regard, Al Lababidi adds that the Verdun battle, being a symbol of determinism, reflects the peculiarity of Beirut's resilience to death.

    Moving to another commercial street in Beirut, Hamra Street, one should note here that many older people in Beirut believe it to be haunted. For example, Fatima Shatila, an elderly woman in her 90s from Ras Beirut and the wife of the late investor Mahmoud Shatila, insists repeatedly, "Hamra was full of cactuses and haunted by jinn." She claims that when she was about 12 years old, while on her way home through Hamra Street, she was shocked to see little rabbits having a wedding... "They were singing and clapping their claws and as I approached them, one of the bunnies put its claws on its head and waved them to me!" She was very scared and ran away. Fatima’s family is well-known in Ras Beirut and her son, Fouad Shatila, used to have a prominent restaurant called "Shatila Corner" in Hamra. Samir Al Ziinni adds that "Hamra was named as such because of its red sands and fields; others have claimed that Hamra's fields were owned by a family named Hamra." He added that the Shihab, Itani and Shatila families then formed Hamra’s Sufi corner – or 'zawye' – where men used to meet and worship God. "Now it is Hamra's mosque," Ziinni explains.   

    The Byzantine, Jean Phocas, describing Beirut, writes: “It is not a natural harbor, but a real piece of art. It is situated in the middle of the city and is in the shape of a half moon; at its two extremities lie two big towers that look like horns linked together by a chain, preventing ships from entering the port.” These two towers are confirmed by Al Lababidi, who says that Beirut was full of 'abraj', meaning towers, and were used to monitor ships. He adds, "They were used also as viewing spots to gaze over the beautiful Beirut that was full of natural reserve areas." Indeed, Burj Al Brajne Street was named as such ('burj' means tower) because of the existence of a tower there. Other streets in Beirut also share the name 'burj', like 'Burj Abi Haidar'.    

    Moving now to the famous Bliss Street, where the aroma of food embraces education, Bliss was named after Daniel Bliss. Daniel Bliss was the founder of the American University of Beirut (AUB). He graduated from Amnherst in 1852 and attended Andover Theological Seminary to prepare for foreign and overseas missions. From October 1858 until 1862, he was in charge of a boarding school in a town just north of Alieh called Soul-al-Gharib; his success there led the Syrian mission to open a new college in Lebanon. He founded the Syrian Protestant College after obtaining funds from the United States and United Kingdom; it opened in 1866 and was later known as the AUB. He became its dean, presiding over the first class of 16 students, who attended courses in a rented house in Ras Beirut.   

    Beirut's chaotic urbanization, its abundance of shops, its unique history of war and peace, its education and nightlife, and the diversity of people strolling through its streets are what make Beirut one of a kind.